Slash Calls ‘Living the Dream’ a ‘Natural Progression’ From ‘World on Fire’

Given how busy Slash has been with Guns N' Roses over the past few years, it may seem like he's had no time to devote to his solo career. But as he explained in a new interview, he, Myles Kennedy and the Conspirators had been at creating the songs found on the upcoming Living the Dream long before returning to his original band.

As he told Blabbermouth, they began writing material during the World on Fire tour with Slash bringing new riffs and musical ideas to the band during soundchecks, at which point the Conspirators would expand on them, with vocalist Kennedy singing ideas into his phone. The original plan was to get back to work on the new album after taking time off following the 18-month jaunt. Then Guns N' Roses came calling back, and that occupied his time for the next two-and-a-half years.

However, this past January he reconvened the Conspirators in a Los Angeles rehearsal space while in between legs. "I wouldn't even call what we did rehearsals," he said. "It was really about just getting back into shape after being apart for so long."

That led to the creation of "Mind Your Manners," which popped out on that first day. "I just sort of came up with it on the spot to give us something to warm up with," Slash continued. "It was the very first thing we jammed on. And from there we fell back into revisiting the old songs, polishing them up and getting the arrangements together. Then we rehearsed everything and jumped into the studio and started recording."

They tracked everything except the drums at Slash's new Snakepit Studios in Los Angeles, and were finished by May, in time for Slash to return to Guns N' Roses for their most recent European dates. Slash noted that Living the Dream, which will be released Sept. 21, is "a snapshot of where we're at."

"It's a natural progression from World on Fire, for sure," he added. "I think it has a little more diversity — some of the ideas are not really what I would consider to be predictable. The record is also a bit more structured, with songs that are shorter and more to the point than last time."

He also explained how Living the Dream's title has a double meaning. "Well, you know, the album title is actually meant to be a sarcastic statement about the world we're living in at the moment," he said. "I never wax political on records, but it was just something that came to mind — this tongue-in-cheek thing directed at social political events across the globe. If you do take it in the literal sense, then, yeah, making records and touring and getting up onstage every day and playing music with these guys, that is the essence of living the dream. And that's why I was always dead-set on getting back together with this band and continuing to do this. And I always knew it would happen. Because the Conspirators' story is not over yet."

Slash will return to the road on Sept. 13 at the Whiskey a Go Go in Los Angeles until the first leg concludes on Oct. 14 at the Aftershock Festival in Sacramento. He said that Guns N' Roses will go back out on tour in November and December, but didn't specify what part of the world. After that, the Conspirators expect to hit Europe, South America and Australia.